Akabeko Picture

This is the fourth in my Cryptozoology, Mythology and other Bizarre and Rare Creatures Project.This is a manipulated photo of cow from Vietnam with the Nan Tien Temple from Woolongong, Australia in the background. I would have used a temple from the area the myth originated from, but I could not find any good stock photos.

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Akabeko was a legendary red cow or ox that helped with the construction of Enzō-ji, a temple in Yanaizu, Japan in AD 807. After the temple had been completed, the cow willed away its soul and turned to stone in dedication to Buddha. Some other stories claim that the red cow merely remained at the site of the temple for the rest of its life after completion. Small wooden statues of the Akabeko are traditional toys in the Aizu province of Japan.